Juventus Reportedly Reject Borussia Dortmund's Offer for Mario Mandzukic

Juventus have reportedly knocked back Borussia Dortmund's approach for Croatia's 2018 World Cup star Mario Mandzukic.

Sky Italia (h/t Calciomercato.com) reported the German outfit made an attempt to sign the 32-year-old from the Turin club but saw their offer rejected, although there's no mention of when the bid was submitted.

The striker has started in five of Croatia's six matches in Russia this summer, scoring two goals and recording one assist, including the extra-time winner in his side's 2-1 semi-final defeat of England.

Mandzukic first established himself as a household name in Germany, gaining success with Wolfsburg before earning a 2012 transfer to Bayern Munich, where he won two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Champions League crown.

Now the frontman—who has also seen success in a wide-left role for club and country—has had a major hand in firing Croatia to their first World Cup final:

Dortmund are likely to have taken notice of the forward's performances in Russia. Unfortunately for them, his success could see Juventus demand more for his signature in the event he leaves.

One Bundesliga-based opinion worth paying attention to is that of seven-time league title-winner Arjen Robben, who recently hailed the winning mentality of his former Bayernteam-mate, via OmniSport:

According to Calciomercato, Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri feels Mandzukic, who has another two years left to run on his contract, will be a "very vital" part of his squad for the campaign to come.

There may be a concern that the recent arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid will stiffen competition in Turin even further. However, Mandzukic wasn't bothered about the transfer news when asked by the media: "I don't care about that. The win against England was the biggest achievement of my career, until Sunday."

Defender Mattia Caldara spent last season on loan at Atalanta from Juventus and recently called Mandzukic his toughest opponent to keep tabs on, per blogger Arjun Pradeep:

That perhaps provides some insight as to why Allegri is so keen to keep hold of Mandzukic, a malleable forward who can fill several slots in attack without major expectations over his playing time.